Despair in the Works of T.S. Eliot

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how T. S. Eliot's works speak both frequently and eloquently of both personal and global despair. It is not until later in his writing career, however, when he has matured as a person and as a writer before hope becomes an aspect of that element of despair. The paper further discusses how this sense of hope comes with the return to some degree of personal comfort on Eliot's part.

From the Paper:

"T.S. Eliot's works offer a compelling vision of the nature of despair. This despair is evident on a personal level, as in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock," and on a global level, as in "The Wasteland." Yet his Quartets, particularly "East Coker" and "Little Gidding" speak of hope that can arise from the question of "what might have been" and the overwhelming presence of despair. It is interesting to note that as the decades progress, Eliot's works move from an internal examination of despair, to the confusion and horror that accompanied a post-World War I world, and, finally, to the hope that began to develop in the despair that was World War II. Is this change simply the work of a maturing author? Or has Eliot's point of view been shaped by a changing worldview?"

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• Analytical Essay # 9299 : "Biographical Sketch of T.S Eliot"

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